Domestic animals such as dogs are expected to relieve themselves outdoors and are trained accordingly. Dogs that are not fully accustomed to relieving themselves outdoors are prone to causing accidents indoors during the training process, especially when left alone in a crate for an extended period of time. When a dog is left in a crate for an extended period of time, the dog has nowhere to relieve itself. Not allowing the dog to void itself can be very stressful on the dog and lead to training or association issues later in time. Additionally, if the dog can no longer hold it and voids within the crate, it creates a mess for the owner and may reinforce the idea of repeating the action.
Taking their dogs outdoors can often be inconvenient or not possible for dog owners. A typical solution is the use of waste receptacles that can be used both indoors and outdoors. However, these waste receptacles are often costly and it is difficult to coerce a dog to urinate normally as on natural grass outdoors. Additionally, these waste receptacles are typically standalone, open devices. Therefore, the owner must purchase multiple devices to accommodate the dog.
Furthermore, issues still arise when allowing a dog to urinate outdoors. Mainly the act of urinating on the lawn, especially repeatedly in one spot, can lead to the burn out of grass, resulting in unsightly brown patches in the lawn. This can detract from the overall appearance of the residence, particularly if the lawn is not fenced in. The present invention seeks to address the previously discussed issues and improve upon the existing prior art.
The present invention provides an elevated waste receptacle that closely simulates for a dog the experience of urinating outdoors onto natural grass. In its preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a base frame onto which a grated cover is seated. A flat bottomed receptacle is slotted into the space between the base frame and the surface on which the base frame is resting. A layer of artificial turf is seated on top of the grated cover and covers all of the openings present on the surface of the grated cover. The grated cover is composed of a low cost and durable material that is able to support the weight of a dog seated upon the grated cover. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the artificial turf physically resembles natural grass in order to coerce dogs to urinate upon the artificial turf. In this way, the dog is taught from day one to associate grass with the proper area to go to bathroom. The artificial turf is treated with an incentive such as the scent of natural grass and dirt in order to assist a dog's adjustment to using the present invention.
The elevated waste receptacle of the present invention may be utilized as an enclosure for a dog as well. In this way, the present invention eliminates the need for an owner to purchase both a crate and waste receptacle. The base frame of the present invention is capable of accommodating a deployable fence that converts the waste receptacle into a dog enclosure. In the dog enclosure configuration, a user may place bedding material over a portion of the layer of artificial turf. This allows a dog to rest, sleep, and relieve itself within the enclosure. The fence may be removed to convert the dog enclosure back into a waste receptacle.
A dog is able to urinate into the receptacle of the present invention. The material of the artificial turf is permeable and porous to allow urine to drain through the artificial turf and the grated cover and into the receptacle. The present invention provides a means for dogs to relieve themselves both indoors and outdoors. Accordingly, the present invention is particularly useful during the training process for dogs that are not yet fully accustomed to urinating outdoors. Accessories such as liners, pads, and litter may be used with the present invention. These accessories are placed into the flat bottomed receptacle prior to use of the present invention. The elevated structure of the base frame allows convenient removal of the receptacle during cleaning and replacement of the liners, pads, or litter within.